Chapter 2

Jiang Tiantian had a very strange dream.

In the dream, she found herself in a parallel timeline set in the 1980s.

She followed a little girl who had the exact same name as her—Jiang Tiantian.

She watched as this lively, adorable, intelligent chatterbox slowly turned into a timid, silent girl who never dared to look up while walking, gradually becoming an invisible shadow of her former self.

Originally, the marriage had been arranged for her elder sister, Jiang Hongmei, since childhood. However, dissatisfied with the groom’s family background, her sister refused the marriage. And so, on the wedding night, the one lying on the bridal bed became her instead.

Jiang Tiantian watched the little girl in her dream, completely aware that her mother and sister were planning to use her as a substitute, yet she showed no resistance at all.

Instead, she looked utterly defeated, resigned to her fate.

She allowed herself to be manipulated by her mother and sister, passively accepting their arrangements as they led her into the bridal chamber.

Finally, when her mother handed her a bowl of red sugar egg soup laced with sleeping pills, she quietly swallowed the overdose of sedatives she had secretly taken from her mother, intending to end her own life.

The dream felt terrifyingly real.

Jiang Tiantian watched as this foolish girl lay on the bridal bed, gradually losing all signs of life. She was so enraged that she stomped her feet in frustration.

How utterly foolish!

Giving up her precious life for two people who didn’t even love her? Absolutely not worth it!

Dream or not, Jiang Tiantian couldn’t stand it any longer. In a fit of anger, she lunged forward with all her might, hoping to wake the foolish girl up.

Suddenly, she felt a cool sensation on her forehead.

She woke up abruptly, slowly opening her eyes.

Her surroundings were exactly the same as before she fainted.

But the people around her had changed.

This time, sitting beside her was a very—very—handsome old man.

His hair was streaked with white, his face was rosy, his features were deep and well-defined, and his eyes were bright and full of life. He had a tall and strong build.

His gaze was filled with kindness as he gently touched her forehead.

His face vaguely resembled that of the handsome young man from earlier.

Jiang Tiantian was still groggy, her thoughts muddled.

What kind of strange place was this?

How did a blink of an eye turn a young man into a handsome grandpa?

“Little Hongmei, you’re awake?”

Little Hongmei?

Jiang Hongmei?

Jiang Tiantian’s mind instantly cleared. She glanced around, taking in her surroundings—wasn’t this the exact bridal chamber from her dream?

Who am I?

Where am I?

—–

So, had she died and then transmigrated?

Transmigrated into the 1980s dream world, into the body of this girl who had the same name as her?

Jiang Tiantian rubbed her forehead, feeling a headache coming on.

“Hiss—”

Why did it hurt so much?

“Don’t move.”

“You’ve got a bump on your head.”

Cha Jizu hurriedly stopped her hand.

“It’s all because of that brat Jiuzhang—so reckless.”

“You’ve even bruised yourself.”

Seeing her trying to sit up, Cha Jizu helped her into a half-seated position with a look of concern.

Then, noticing the dark bruise above her lips, he sighed.

This poor girl’s beautiful little face had been bruised blue and purple by that brat Cha Jiuzhang.

How was he supposed to explain this to her grandfather and parents tomorrow morning?

He turned his head and yelled toward the door with irritation.

“Get in here right now and apologize to Little Hongmei!”

“Don’t you know that girls have delicate skin? How can you compare them to a rough man like you?”

“You’re already an adult, yet you still don’t know how to be gentle!”

Then, in the next second, his expression softened as he turned back to Jiang Tiantian.

“Little Hongmei.”

“Jiuzhang is just naturally clumsy. He definitely didn’t do it on purpose.”

“If he dares to bully you again, just tell Grandpa—I’ll deal with him for you.”

Outside the room, Cha Jiuzhang sighed as he looked up at the bright full moon in the night sky.

With a bitter face, he walked into the room and awkwardly approached the bed.

“Little Hongmei, I’m sorry. I really didn’t mean to.”

He was feeling quite wronged himself.

It was his wedding night, and he hadn’t even done anything before he managed to knock his own bride unconscious.

If this got out, he’d probably become the village joke for years to come.

Jiang Tiantian’s mind was still spinning from the shock of her transmigration and needed time to process.

“It’s okay. I wasn’t paying attention myself, so it’s not your fault.”

Cha Jizu shot Cha Jiuzhang a glare before turning back to Jiang Tiantian.

“How are you feeling now?”

“Aside from the headache, is there anything else bothering you?”

“If anything feels wrong, you must tell me. Don’t worry, Grandpa is a doctor—I won’t hurt you.”

“Grandpa, I’m fine. I just hit my head and feel a bit dizzy. I’ll be better after some rest.”

Seeing that her face didn’t show any signs of discomfort, Cha Jizu let out a sigh of relief.

“That’s good. It’s already late, so you two should get some rest. If anything comes up, deal with it tomorrow.”

He placed a small jar of ointment into Cha Jiuzhang’s hands.

“Jiuzhang, apply another layer of medicine for Little Hongmei. Let her get a good night’s rest.”

Then, he leaned in and whispered in his ear, “And no more rough handling! You’ll scare the poor girl for life.”

This brat! How could he be so clueless?

Cha Jizu regretted it now. Because of their childhood engagement, he had been too strict with Jiuzhang, always scolding and disciplining him. He had never properly taught him how to interact with women.

As a result, on his wedding night, he had already managed to cause such a ridiculous mess.

“I understand, I won’t.”

Cha Jiuzhang nodded rapidly.

Seeing the clear disdain in his grandfather’s eyes—Are you even a man? You couldn’t even handle your own wedding night?—he wanted to cry.

Grandpa, you should be more worried about your grandson right now!

If anyone had a psychological shadow from tonight, it was probably him!

Besides, he really wouldn’t dare anymore—this girl was way too delicate.

He seriously doubted whether she could even handle him.

Better to take it slow.

—–

After Cha Jizu left, even kindly closing the door behind him, silence filled the room.

The two stared at each other.

After a long moment.

Jiang Tiantian sighed and reached out her hand.

“Give me the ointment. I’ll apply it myself.”

“I should do it. It was my fault, so I’ll take responsibility.”

Cha Jiuzhang didn’t dare use his fingers—his hands were rough and calloused—so he took a small oyster shell spatula from the jar and carefully applied the ointment to her forehead.

Seeing the deep purple bruise above her lips, he applied some there as well.

His movements were unbelievably gentle, as if he were handling a fragile porcelain doll.

“Don’t worry, this is Grandpa’s handmade bruise ointment—our family’s secret formula.”

“It works wonders. As long as the bruise isn’t too serious, it’ll be gone by morning.”

Jiang Tiantian took this moment to observe the man in front of her carefully.

Handsome. Too handsome!

His face, his figure, his aura—everything about him was exactly her type.

At this moment, his tone was gentle, his actions careful, treating her as if she were the most delicate thing in the world.

How could she not be moved?